Blood Libel
by debra3
Summary: Rebekah's father has been accused of a "BLOOD LIBEL" for the passover. Can Rebekah reach Adam Cartwright in time to save her father from being lynched? (Rebekah and her father based on actual episode)
1. Default Chapter

This is my first Bonanza fic .......so be nice. The Character of Rebekah and her father comes from one of the Bonanza episodes.

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"Rebekah!", called Rebekah's father as she bought in the matzoh that she had just prepared for the Pesach service. "Very good. Rebekah. Hurry now the guests will be here soon.", her father said as he took the matzoh from her. She quickly went back into the kitchen to see to the rest of the meal. She opened the wood burning stove to check on the roast chicken and the matzah kugel. Rebekah's father smiled as the aroma from the evening meal swept through the house.

"Father, everything is ready. Here are the bowls. I'll bring out the wine in just a moment.", Rebekah said as she checked once more to ensure that everything was properly placed on the seder plate before going to fetch the wine and the goblets. As she did, she and her father heard an incessant knocking on the door.

"The guests must be here.", Rebekah's father said as he went to answer the door.

"You Murdering JEW!", a man yelled as he and many men with him drug him out of his home.

"Father......What are you doing?", Rebekah cried only to have the front door slammed in her face as the men put him on a horse and placed a rope around his neck.

"What is going on here?", a voice called as Rebekah ran from the back of the house to the front.

"Sheriff!!! They're trying to hang my father!", Rebakah cried. "They called him a murdering jew.", she quickly added as the sheriff fired two shots in the air.

"Get him off of that horse! They'll be no Lynchings in Carson!", the sheriff yelled as the grumbling mob complied.

"He murdered my new born daughter for them BLOOD LIBELS!", a man yelled.

"I would never do that sheriff. Rebekah get back inside. This, you do not need to see.", her father commanded.

"But Papa!", she cried.

"Get back in the house.", her father sternly commanded.

"It's alright ma'am. I'll see he gets a fair trial.", the sheriff said gently.

"If he did murder your daughter, then he'll be tried for it.", the sheriff said coldly as Rebakah complied with her father's wishes and went back into the house. As soon as she got into the house she started trembling uncontrollably and collapsed in tears in the living room.

"And I say we LYNCH him now!", the father of the alleged dead baby said.

"And I say if you try that you will be the one on trial for murder Sam. Let him off of the horse. Turn him over to me. As I said before there will be no lynchings in Carson.", the sheriff said with his pistol in hand.

"Fine you win this round Jewboy ........but you won't win the next one.", Sam said. "I'll lynch you yet Jew. You and your daughter.", Sam thought as the sheriff took Rebekah's father over to the jail house.

As Rebekah sobbed in the living room she heard a noise from the kitchen. She stopped sobbing and grabbed a fire poker.

"Rebekah it's me Sarah. Your neighbor. Come with me. You are not safe here child.", Sarah said as she ran to Rebekah's side and placed her arms about her.

"I can't. Look after dinner for me? I must go. They'll find a way to lynch Papa. It's still the afternoon. Maybe there's still time to save Papa.", Rebekah said tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You are crazy NO? YOU a young lady alone .....how will you save your Papa?", Sarah asked all of her seventy years of love and sorrows showing on her face.

"You are right. Alone I can do nothing. But I know someone who can help. The Cartwrights of the Ponderosa. Adam will help us, even if no one else will.", Rebekah said pulling on her cloak and running out of her house to the livery stable before anyone could stop her.

She quickly paid for the horse that she knew her papa would forbid her to ride and rode with all haste towards Ponderosa land.


	2. chapter 2 of blood libel

Chapter two is up I hope everyone likes it.

Please review it. Constructive criticism I can take ;-)

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Rebekah rode up on to Ponderosa land as a couple of the members of her father's would be lynching party looked on.

"I'll stop her.", a man yelled.

"Let her go. We'll get the jewboy in their first. Then we'll go after her.", Sam said his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Rebekah kept riding. Her tears once again streaming down her cheeks as she thought of her poor papa in prison for something that he didn't even do.

"Rebekah!", she heard a voice yell from a distance.

"Oh no they found me!", she cried.

"Rebekah wait up!", the voice yelled as a man's hands grabbed her reigns and stopped her horse.

"Rebekah what's wrong? You've been crying.", the man said as she finally calmed down and realized it was none other then Ben Cartwright.

"It's Papa! He's been arrested! Sam ......he's accused my father of murdering his new born daughter for the Passover. He said it was a Blood libel. Please you must help him.", Rebekah cried her tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"We will. First let's get you to the house. You'll be safer there.", Ben said patting her arm gently.

"Anything wrong Mr. Cartwright?", a ranch hand asked as he noticed that his boss was riding back to the house.

"Yes. Candy I need you to handle things here. When you see my boys you get them up to the house.", Ben said sternly as he and Rebekah rode up to the house.

A few hours later they arrived at the house. Ben gently lifted Rebekah off of the horse as Adam came out onto the porch.

"Pa?Rebekah .........what's happened Rebekah?", Adam asked in a concerned tone of voice.

"We'll talk about it inside. Have you seen Joe or Hoss?", Ben asked.

"The last I saw they were still doing fence posts at the line shack.", Adam said concerned.

"We'll have to go on our own then. Rebekah you stay here. HOP SING!", Ben called.

"Yes Mister Cartwright?", Hop Sing asked smiling congenially.

"You remember Rebekah. She'll have to stay here for a few days. She's...", Ben said uncertain on how to continue.

"She Hebrew. She eat Kosher ....no worry. Hop Sing have new pots can do vegatables.", Hop Sing said waving for Adam and Ben to go.

"Hop Sing. Thank you if there's anything I can do to help Please let me know.", Rebekah said remembering from her last visit with her papa that Hop Sing was the cook and like a member of the family.

"You guest. You rest. Hop Sing take care of you.", Hop Sing said as he went off talking loudly in chinese.

"Pa. What's going on?", Adam asked.

"We have to hurry to Carson city. There are some men who have trumped up charges of murder against Rebekah's Pa. They want to lynch him. I found Rebekah riding from Carson city trying to get to us.", Ben said looking towards her as she stood staring out of the window.

"Pa .......let's go.", Adam said as he pulled the rifles down from the rack where they were kept and put extra ammunition in his saddle bags.

Ben needed no further urging. He and Adam raced out the door to their horses as Rebekah watched them go.

"Please God. Please let them protect my Papa. I know he didn't murder that child. He wouldn't. Please God watch over them all.", she prayed as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks.

She didn't see Hop Sing as he stood at the door with the tea. He however saw her and heard her prayer.

"Hop Sing bring tea. You drink tea. It will help.", Hop Sing said as he bought it out and set it on the table beside the red chair. "You sit. You need rest.", Hop Sing said mothering her as though he were the mother hen and she the chick.

"Thank you.", she managed to say as she came to the red chair and sat down. She took a cup of tea that Hop Sing poured and sipped it greatfully.

"Hop Sing prepare room. You stay here and drink tea.", Hop Sing said as he went upstairs to prepare her room. "I show you New Pots when I come back down.", Hop Sing called down from the top of the stairs.

"Thank you Hop Sing.", Rebekah said as continued drinking her tea.

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"Pa will she be alright?", Adam asked as they rode down towards Carson city.

"Hop Sing will take good care of her.", Ben said assuringly.

"Pa! What's goin on?", Hoss called as he and Little Joe rode out to meet them.

"Rebekah's Pa has been arrested for something he hasn't done. You have your weapons good. We need you here. That sheriff will need help to protect her Pa.", Ben said as he was now joined by all of his sons.

"Sir are you certain you don't need me in this?", Candy asked.

"No Candy. I need you here. Rebekah is over at the house. If this situation is what I 'think' it is. I'll need ranch hands over at the house to protect her.", Ben said his brow furrowing in thought.

"Yes Mr. Cartwright. I'll take care of it sir.", Candy said realizing that Ben was right.

"Thank you Candy!", Ben yelled as he and his boys rushed off at a pace that would have beaten any train towards Carson city.

"Pa, they gonna try to lynch him ain't they?", Hoss said his demeaner clearly troubled.

"I believe so son.", Ben said as they kept riding as fast as they could.

(Next update) 1/26th


	3. Chapter 3 of blood libel

Sorry it took so long to update my story. I was ill.

Spots On A Pony, I just wanted to thank you for reviewing my story. I truly appreciate it.

Story:

Rebekah sat in the blue chair. She looked out the window. She wanted so badly, to get back to Carson City. Yet, Sarah was right. It was too dangerous. She prayed that the Cartwrights would get back to Carson City in time. She prayed that the Cartwrights would be able to protect her father.

"Missy have some tea?", Hop Sing asked as he walked into the room, from the kitchen. "I bring Missy tea."

"Thank you Hop Sing.", she answered greatfully.

"No worry about your Pa. Mr. Cartwright protect him. All Cartwrights protect him.", he said nodding, before going back into the kitchen.

Back at Carson city the mob was getting restless. They were all assembled at the jail.

"We want that baby killer!", Sam yelled.

"Bring him out!", another man called out, firing a shot into the air.

As the crowds and the cries for vengence grew larger, the Cartwrights arrived. They saw the sherrif working hard in order to keep order. They also saw that there were simply too many men. The crowd rushed towards the sherrif. They stopped when the Cartwrights fired their rifles into the air.

"That's ENOUGH!", Ben roared.

"This is my city!", the sherrif called out. "They'll be no lynchings in my town! Ben what are you doing here?", the sherrif asked.

"Rebekah told us about her father being here. We came to keep him from being lynched, by your 'fine' towns people.", Adam said sarcastically.

"Adam. Look John, we only want to help.", Ben said, giving his eldest a look that brooked no arguement.

"Good. It looks like I'll need some deputies. You, and your boys are deputized. The rest of you, clear the streets.", John said. "How is Rebekah? She was really upset about those men trying to lynch her Pa."

"Hop Sing is looking after her. I also have some ranch hands about. Just in case, any one tries to go after her.", Ben said, eyeing the disbanding crowd.

"Good. Sarah, you shouldn't be here!", John said.

"I know, but I worry for Rebekah. She is so worried about her father.", the elderly woman said.

"Rebekah is fine. Ben Cartwright, here. He has people looking out for her.", the sherrif said. "I am going to have Little Joe walk you home. Sarah you are not safe out here. Not with the way things are."

"I thank you, all of you. In the old country, Rebekah's father would already be dead. Here, he is given the chance to prove innocence.", Sarah said to Little Joe as they left for her house.

"Actually Ma'am in this country, you are innocent until 'proven' guilty.", Ben heard his young son say as he opened the door of Sarah's home.

"Thank you young man. Be certain to thank your family also for me.", Sarah said as she pinched Joe's cheek as she went into the house, much to the amusement of his family.

"May I see him?", Ben asked.

"I don't see why not. I think it'll do him good to see a friendly face.", John said, as he and Ben walked back into the jail house.

"Hello old friend.", Ben said softly.

"How did you know?", Rebekah's Pa asked. He was so worried about Rebekah. He prayed that she was alright.

"Rebekah rode to the Ponderosa. She told us what happened. Hop Sing is looking out for her.", Ben said.

"She should not have done that! She could have been hurt by those men!", Rebekah's Pa cried out.

"Yes, she could have. But, she wasn't. She is safe. I have ranch hands protecting the ranch. And a lawyer is on his way from Virginia City.", Ben said softly.

"Hop Sing is using the kosher pots and pans that we gave him. Yes?", he asked.

"Yes. He is. And he is using the recipies that Rebekah gave him.", Ben said relieved that his friend was calming down. "I have to go. Just remember, you aren't alone. I, and my boys are here to help."

Rebekah's father smiled weakly. As Ben, and John left the Jail cell.

"At least Haschem, my Rebekah is safe. Baruch Haschem.", he said as he stood up and started saying his evening prayers.


End file.
